


When Ruby Died Part 1

by caffeinated_otto



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28749201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caffeinated_otto/pseuds/caffeinated_otto
Summary: It sucks to die.Really it is terrible. You don't get to see some divine light like in the movies. There isn't an angel carrying your soul to the heavens. No memories flashing to mind. Nothing.Absolutely nothing.It is dark and bleak. So dark that you do not even know if or when your eyes get closed. It is all so disappointing and depressing, no wonder people get sad about it.I did. It freaking hurt too.





	1. Let Me Rest in Peace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My pet plant Poe](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+pet+plant+Poe).



It sucks to die.

Really it is terrible. You don't get to see some divine light like in the movies. There isn't an angel carrying your soul to the heavens. No memories flashing to mind. Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

It is dark and bleak. So dark that you do not even know if or when your eyes get closed. It is all so disappointing and depressing, no wonder people get sad about it.

I did. It freaking hurt too.

Lying on the ground all by myself. Listening to my breathing slow down, my heart silent... I say to myself "Wow this is actually happening isn't it. The fear, oh it is pathetic. Living makes people forget about death, and death reminds them of living. While dying all I could think of was to keep living. I was never the most cheerful one. I mean, yeah, I did behave like a clown all the time with my terrible sense of humor acting like a coping mechanism. But deep inside I thought I was a pretty dark fellow. Insecurities and uncertainties and all...

So I was surprised to see I was so desperate to stay alive.

Well young Padawan, life rarely gives you what you want.

So breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in. I shiver.

And out.

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper. 

A whimper.

-5 hours ago- 

I whimpered as I banged my head to the glass.

Damn. Damn. DAMN.

Why?

"Oh don't be like that Ruru~" chirps the girl from the phone as I sink down on a seat near the window. Honestly, it would have been impossible for me to find a seat during normal hours but I was just out of the drama practice, and the teacher who /happens to/ live beside the school left all the cleaning duty to me and left. I felt like I was about to /die/. My head hurt, my boots had been cutting into the back of my heels for the last three hours now. And I JUST wanted to take a shower and sleep.

"Don't be like /what/ Cass. You just told me you have done nothing for our project. It is due-" I look at my old watch " TWO HOURS. I am still on my way to home. Oh, and I have barely slept? Wow, I wonder why I sound mean, sorry if I hurt you, babe..." I say in the most deadpan voice possible. 

Cass freaking /giggles/ and says, " But you are an amazing person and I am too lucky to have you as my bestie?" she says, her voiced sugarcoated and cute. 

Of course no, I needed this time to take a break. I looked at my clothes. My socks were torn because I fell backstage while trying to carry this stupid lamp. My school skirt had a suspicious stain and I could swear on my slice of pizza that it would be a pain to scrub it out. My /new/ boots were muddy after walking all the way to the station under the rain, and damn, was my throat aching? I swear to god if I get sick again-

I sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. What would you do without me?" I say my voice cracking. Seriously I have to learn how to say no...

"/Thank you/ soooo much~ Love ya sunshinee!" 

"No. No, you don't." I groan as I end the call.

And I bumped my head back to the Metro train's window and squeezed my eyes shut. 

Goood, I felt /awful/. 

I could fall asleep there and then if it wasn't too late. And even though I was capable of defending myself, I really didn't feel like being mugged that night. 

So as I sat there, leaning to the window, occasionally looking at my once brand new combat boots with a painful expression painted over my tired face, I saw someone with the side of my eye.

Huh... Have they always been there?

I stared at the stranger, partly because it was 10:30 pm and he looked awfully suspicious with his tall coat and hood on. He kept checking something in the inside pocket of his coat and I doubted he had some sweet candies in there. 

But then I got distracted because of the sudden shaking of the train and even though I was sitting I nearly fell off to the floor. What the hell? Was I really that dizzy?

Then I heard the kind and cheerful voice of my stop being and shook the thought off my brain. What do I know? It doesn't have anything to do with me right? They do whatever they do, the fewer distractions, the faster I get to sleep after all. 

So I stepped off to the cold night. It is by the end of autumn so I silently cursed myself for not wearing something warmer in the morning. I clung onto my black trench coat and puff some warm air to my freezing fingers. Where did I put my hat again? Ah, I left it at my locker, didn't I? Great. Just /great/. 

Frowning to all existence and swearing silently under my breath I started walking slowly. A dark figure came to my eye and I winced slightly in fear. Then I realized it was just a stray dog, so weak and hungry that I could practically count its ribs through its skin. Though its pitch black fur shined surprisingly bright under the moonlight. 

How pretty... 

I fumbled through my trench coats' pockets to find the evening snack I planned to eat during the club. I bend down and gave it to the stray. Its eyes gleamed in such gratitude as it ate the whole thing in one bite. I pet its head softly, feeling the silky fur under my fingers. How odd... Its fur was too soft and groomed to be a stray. A runaway maybe? Yet, its eyes had that gleam of grief only seen in the strays' eyes... Who knows? 

It was just then that the shady guy from the train dashed down to the station's exit as they bumped into my shoulder. The poor dog hides behind my legs to run away from the running man and his careless steps.

"Hey! Watch where you are going!" I say angrily as the stray whines in fear and stumbles back into the shadows of the station.

They don't say /anything/.

Well, /rude/.

As I straighten my trench coat and pout I see a shiny object just next to the exit doors.

Is that a... medallion?..

Oh so /that's/ what he was looking at! Ooooh, I seee...

Wait-

I grab the medallion and run off into the street. That thing looks /expensive/.

By the entrance to a back alley, I saw the long coat disappearing into the darkness. I was out of breath though, I used to do some kick-box back in middle school but my unbalanced high school life had some unpleasant effects on my body. Wheezing as I try to breathe in the freezing air, all sweaty and wasted, I clutched my knees and just looked at the alley I have reached.

It was dark. Not just because it is nighttime, the street lights were broken at this side of the road so the closest light source was about 50 meters away. The whole situation shouted out "dangerous". But you see...

I have /terrible/ survival instincts. 

So, I looked at the dark alley and thought /After running after the dude for so long, it would be a waste to just give up now, right?/ 

Dear past me, I just wanted to let you know:

You are an /idiot/ sweetheart.

My muddy boots' heals were clicking to the pavement and the sound was echoing throughout the alley. I felt a cold shiver down my spine as I reached the end of the alley. I looked around to see any sign of the stranger but they were nowhere to be found. I gripped the medallion in my fist. It was unnaturally cold against my palm. Slowly rising it to the moonlight I looked at the expensive-looking jewelry. It had little clips that could be opened. I peered inside the medallion with shaky fingers. There was odd-looking writing inside the medallion. Golden letters glimmered through the ghastly light:

"mors vincit omnia"

(Death conquers all)

Huh... /Not creepy at all.../

Having no idea what that was... The wind was howling and messing my hair, making me freeze to my bones. Then I heard a creaking sound from behind me. I quickly turned to see nothing but ominous-looking shadows dance. With my eyes blown wide and skin pale as paper, I staggered back. What the hell have I walked into?

I was starting to worry if this was like a super-secret cult and the shady dude intentionally led me here. So I finally did the normal thing a sensible human being would do in this situation. 

I panicked.

"H-hello? I-is anyone out there?" 

Nothing. 

Not a soul.

Ok, maybe /one/ other soul. 

I leaned my back to one of the old-looking houses. My heart was beating in my throat and the silence was too loud in my ears. I was just about to leave the medallion to the ground and leave when the weirdest thing happened.

The medallion /bit/ me.

I yelped, not so gracefully, and tried to throw it off my hand. But the thing bit /hard/. My index finger was bleeding as the medallion kept biting me like an angry chihuahua. 

"WHAT THE F-"

As I jumped around trying to remove the thing without chopping my finger off, I hit something. Or rather, /someone./ I tried to get away using my other hand to realize it was actually a body. Oh and, was the body shining?-

Then I lift my head. To meet with nothing. The person simply didn't have a head. My eyes slowly dropped down to the person's hand.

They had a /bloody axe/ in their firm grip. I opened my mouth to scream, to speak, to do /anything/, bc that's what I do, I use my words when under stress. So before I attempted to reason with this civilized headless individual, they raised their axe. 

I saw the moonlight.

Then my own brown eyes, blown with terror, staring back at me from the axe's shiny surface.

Oh.

/Oh./

Well, HELL NO.

I ducked. The axe swung beside my cheek, giving me a neat asymmetrical haircut. A stranger's blood painted my forehead slightly as I stumbled back. 

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?

I screamed as loud as I could. As I ran towards the main street. What was happening? Did the shady dude do something to my head? Was I hallucinating? 

While I ran for my sweet life I realized two things. One, I did not have any weapons available to me. This would not be a fair fight with Mr. Dullahan so I /had/ to escape. 

Two, the direction I came from was sealed with a brick wall.

/Are you kidding me?/

I looked around. Any walls I could climb, any kind of exit...

The headless dude did not wait for my little exploration. 

So with a headless murderer swinging their knife crazily and nowhere to go, I picked the lid of a trashcan beside me. When the murderer swung the axe I help up the lid as a heroic protagonist would. 

Except all my body trembled with the impact. 

/Damn, I shouldn't have quit sports.

I tried to fix my stance and kicked the attacker's feet to make them lose their balance. And it kind of worked too. So as the murderer was trying to swing their balance once again, I kicked the trashcan towards them. Once they were on the ground, I stepped on their wrist to weaken their grip but-

My foot /went through/ the wrist. 

Huh.

At the mild moment of confusion, the supernatural creature swung the axe one last time. 

Huh?

I looked down to my body, where the wave of pain came from. An axe. It was stabbed to my heart.

Oh /no/.

No, no, no, no...

With the panic, came the pain. It was there before but, oh boy did it /hurt/ now...

The rest is hard to remember. I remember screaming. Falling to the ground, clutching my body. Trying to stop the bleeding and crying. Then I remember all the strength leaving my body.

Looking at the starry sky and thinking, /wow I really should have ignored that medallion/. And oddly thinking about the assignment due today. I guess I won't be handing that in after all, huh? 

Then it was dark. Dark and cold.

So lonely. So lonely that it makes you question the existence of reality before darkness. Did it ever really happen at all? Or was I nonexistent in this dark pit of nothingness since the beginning of the time?

Was this.. all?


	2. Resurrecting with a Wham!

WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO  
DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING ON LIKE A YO-YO

/What the hell?/

I opened my eyes. Feeling like an utter piece of trash I tried to understand if I had a physical form or not. My mouth tasted like metal and my eyes were burning like hell. I frowned as I looked at the ceiling. Am I... in my bedroom? 

WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO-

I cursed under my breath as I punched the alarm clock by my bed to silence this torturous thing. This /was/ my bedroom alright. My head /hurt/ and before I reached out for my phone and left the bed-

I realized. I was wearing my /black trench coat/ and /muddy combat boots/ (eww). My eyes grew with terror as I touched my torso. There was a /bloody hole/ on my uniform and trench coat but there weren't any signs of harm. 

Then my father knocked on the door. 

"Sweetie? Are you-

awake? Can I come in?" 

"YEAH UHM ONE MINUTE DAD-"

I hid under my blanket at the speed of light to hide the literal /murder scene/. After I was thoroughly sure I hid all of my clothes I shouted "You can come nooow!".

He came in with a tired but bright smile. "Rise and shine!"

I laughed nervously as a reply, though it probably sounded like hysterical crying with me being at the brink of a mental breakdown over my /own freaking death./ 

He looked suspiciously at my crazy-looking hair and pale face. "Are you feeling alright kiddo? You came in late last night, didn't you... I was at work so I couldn't check on you but you have to let me know when you leave late or I get worried-" 

That made me remember some things such as the blood on the side of my cheek so I casually (not at all) rested my head on my hand and gave my best-actor smile, all bright and energetic. "Oh don't worry dad~ I'm alright I just lost track of time!"

He looked suspicious. He damn should be after seeing his girl as pale as a ghost and covering /something/ around her neck-

"Ru."

"Hm?"

"Do you have a boyfriend kiddo?"

"Of course I wasn't outside- WAIT, WHAT NO!"

"A girlfriend?"

"/No./"

"Are you /sure/?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ARE YOU SURE? I WOULD KNOW IF I WAS DATING SOMEONE-"

He still looks suspicious, disappointed even.

"Kiddo... You know you can tell me anything right? I wouldn't judge-"

"I know, I know old man..." I say sighing with a smile. "Don't worry about it ok? You already have lots to worry about with your work and all. I am just being my usual silly self."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"/Absolutely/ sure?" 

"Mmm-hmm."

"/Definitely/ sur-"

"/Dad./"

"Alright, alright, I'll go."

"..."

"..."

"Just use protection-"

"DAD!"

"Mkay bye!~"

He closed the door and left. I stayed in bed for a minute or so after I heard his footsteps getting away. You know, just letting it all sink in.

I died. I am dead. I slowly sat up and realized I was clutching something, so hard that it hurt my hand. I looked down.

The medallion.

It had a layer of blood dried on top of its elaborate design. A flower, a chrysanthemum? I have heard of those before. My mother used to love plants and so one day she was talking to me about buying a new one. She had this large plant encyclopedia and when I was little we used to read it together. Once I pointed a picture of this white lean flower and asked if we could get it. She smiled at me saying, "That is the flower of the dead, Ru." She wasn't someone who believed in superstitions but she read tons of works of world literature and she knew a great deal of symbolism, so I did not question it that much as a seven-year-old. 

But /now/ looking at the dried blood between the golden petals of the delicate flower, I wished I had listened to her better before she-

Well, before she was killed. 

I shook the sad memories off of my brain and tried to focus on the situation at hand. The medallion was still here with me. So it /did/ really happen huh...

Feeling dizzy and confused, I stood up.

The medallion was hauntingly heavy in my hand so I left it on my nightstand, on top of the five books I was trying to finish at that time. I really didn't know what to do with it. But looking at its bloody surface, I changed my mind and decided to, well, /at least/ wash it.

Holding onto my cluttered desk for some support I left my small room and went for the bathroom. I /kinda/ needed a shower after all that. 

Then I looked at the mirror.

My face was normal. Large eyes and dark circles, thin lips, and a small nose (just like my mom everyone says).

Also, my skin looked /pale/. I already was very pale before, Cass loved to call me a vampire for it, but I had a slight tint of... /color/. 

I looked as pale as a ghost.

Yeah, my hair was messy, but I had worse bedheads before...

It was my torso that concerned me.

My trench coat was torn open hardened with the dried blood. I touched the large cut on my uniform and followed where the axe went through, just through my heart.

And my stomach churned.

The sudden disgust and shock washed over me as I threw up everything, which was disappointingly little since I skipped dinner the other day.

Wow.

I was /butchered/.

Slash. Chop chop. Whoosh-

/Jesus-/

My father thankfully left for work already so until I felt fully content about emptying my poor meal plan from school, I was alone. Then after peeling my bloody clothes off of me, wincing while thinking about the amount of blood loss I had the other day, I started the water. 

The dried blood behind my neck was a /nightmare/. I scrubbed it all, my hair, my face, my limbs... But /somehow/ I still felt dirty.

I smelled like blood.

The medallion was still in my hand so I let it slip from my fingers until it was dangling loosely from my index finger. It all felt... /unreal/... The pain was real, the darkness was real.

**Author's Note:**

> No, this is not all my friends. 
> 
> I am back! After a long break from my fanfic I decided to write an original work here, mainly for practice purposes. I hope you like the story and please let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
> 
> Peace!
> 
> Otto


End file.
